


The Serpent's Embrace

by ninedivines



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Anal Sex, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Bisexuality, Flirting, Gay Sex, Loki/Male Reader - Freeform, M/M, One Night Stands, PWP, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Reader-Insert, Secret Identity, Some Plot, bisexual reader, male reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-04-11 21:32:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19118095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninedivines/pseuds/ninedivines
Summary: The Serpent's Embrace.The name of the bar isn’t something you’d say is comforting, to say the least. Your coworker nudges you, a shit-eating grin plastered all over his face.





	1. The Serpent's Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Dré.
> 
> Unbeta'd.

_The Serpent’s Embrace._

The name of the bar isn’t something you’d say is comforting, to say the least. Your coworker nudges you, a shit-eating grin plastered all over his face.

“Come on,” he says, hurrying you through the bouncers. You can feel the shitty club music from here and you can see that the bar is yet another level down.

“We’ll have fun,” your coworker says. You barely hear him, the music beginning to grow louder with every step you take.

“I don’t think this is really—”

Whatever you had to say gets drowned out by the loud music when your coworker pushes open the final doors. What greets you is a mass of writhing bodies, twisting and turning to the beat of the bass-heavy song. They all surround the DJ’s booth, most of them hoisting their drinks high in the air, trying their best to sway.

You don’t like it here. Just thinking about being in the middle of that sweaty crowd makes you long for your quiet apartment and comfortable couch.

“I’m going to grab us a drink,” someone shouts into your ear. “You stay right here, I’ll bring something back.”

You grab your coworker before he can leave. “Andy,” you say, voice loud over the music.

“What?”

Andy isn’t paying attention to you, eyes glued to some group of girls in the corner of the dance floor.

“Andy,” you say again, slapping his cheek lightly. He finally turns his attention back to you. “I’ll get the drinks with you,” you tell him.

“What?” he blinks once, twice, and then he seems to remember. “Right, drinks. Yeah, okay. Come on.”

You follow him, pushing through bodies and someone trying to feel you up. You reach the bar and you catch the eye of one of the bartenders.

“Double rum and coke, please,” you tell her.

She turns from you to grab a glass. “Spiced?”

“Sure,” you say.

She gets you your drink and you give her your card. She completes the transaction and hands you back your things.

You take a sip of your drink and grimace. It’s been a while since you’ve had alcohol. It’s probably been more than ten years but you don’t dwell on it because it will only remind you of how much of your life you’ve already wasted and missed.

Andy’s gone. You keep drinking, trying to at least get something going in your system before you risk trying to find him again. Even if it has been years, the muscle memory of being in a club doesn’t really leave you.

You end up ordering six more drinks and two shots. Feeling properly buzzed, you rub at your ears in a weak attempt to brush the loud music away and break away from the bar. You touch your pocket to make sure your wallet is still with you before you walk deeper into the crowd, which seems to have doubled in size.

It’s way too dark to see anything and you feel too disorientated to try. The music is shit but you bop to it anyway. There’s a smoke machine that spits every three minutes and it smells weird. You really don’t miss being in a club.

Someone brushes up against you. A soft hand wraps itself against your own. “Hey, handsome,” the girl says, lips soft against your ear. “What’re you doing here all by your lonesome?”

You chuckle at her. Your other hand automatically finds its place on her hip and the two of you start to dance to the song. She’s writhing deliciously against you and you suddenly realize you _miss_ feeling like this.

Andy should be fine. He’s a grown man.

When the next song starts, she pulls you down and you vaguely remember how to kiss. You mash your lips against hers, her arms around your neck. You feel her flex slightly and you move along with her.

The two of you break for air and you try to peer into her eyes. You can’t see anything too clearly because of the fake smoke and the bad lighting. Your mind, muddled, tells you that maybe you shouldn’t be here.

“Mind if I join in on the fun, Isabel?” A guy comes sauntering in, his hips a dramatic sway that has nothing to do with the music that’s playing. You tear your gaze away from Isabel, eyes dragging across the guy from head to toe.

The guy is slim. Lean in a way that both a man and a woman can be. He has shoulder-length black hair that is slicked back. It shines under the spotlights. Your eyebrows furrow, a long-ignored part of your mind breaking free with the aid of his physique and alcohol.

He seems entertained by your scrutiny and you break away from Isabel to reach for him. He meets you halfway, mouth already open for a kiss.

“Screw you, Loki,” Isabel shouts but she is not upset.

“Mm,” Loki, the man you’re holding close, mumbles into your mouth. You kiss for a bit before he turns from you. Isabel makes a face at him and you can only assume he’s making a face at her, too. “Don’t be jealous,” Loki says.

“He’s a fine catch,” Isabel says. She winks at you and you grin dumbly back at her. “Have fun with him, then,” she says to Loki and then she is carried away by the constant motion of the crowd.

“You are a fine catch,” Loki breathes as he leans in for another kiss. He’s only an inch or two shorter than you and you find that exhilarating.

He writhes against you, completely unashamed of his want. You reach around him and grab his ass, kneading the flesh between your fingers and groaning when he bites down on your lip.

His hands are all over you. On your chest, on your shoulders, on your waist. You grumble and Loki turns, breaking your hands from his ass, only to grind it right against your dick, already growing hard from just the touching.

You feel like you’re a college kid again, freshly turned twenty-one and high on just a couple of drinks.

Loki reaches behind him and wraps an arm around your head. He presses his back against your chest and turns his head, mouthing along your lips. “What’s your name, pretty boy?” Loki asks.

You hum, hands rubbing Loki’s thighs. You eventually turn and whisper your name into Loki’s ear. He shivers in response, a pink tongue peeking out between those pearly whites. “You want me screaming that tonight?” he asks.

You grin. Of course, you do. You turn him around and give him a bruising kiss, one that knocks the air out of both of your lungs.

“Is Isabel not going to join us?” you ask, though in jest.

Loki chuckles. “I can ask her if you want, and I’m sure she won’t mind, but I think I’d rather have you all to myself, tonight.”

“Fair enough,” you say.

Loki grabs your hand and takes you to the bar. You press your crotch against his ass when he leans over the counter, ordering four shots, and he pushes back against you.

“You’re impatient,” Loki mumbles to you when you lean in for another kiss.

“Something about you,” you reply back, words muffled.

“I get that a lot,” Loki says. He pays for the drinks and offers you two. You down your drinks and with a fresh dose of alcohol waiting to soak into your system, he leads you out.

You see Isabel standing outside, a cigarette between her lips.

“Caught him, huh?” she asks Loki.

Loki pokes his tongue out at her and pulls you closer. You lean your head on his shoulder and blow a kiss at Isabel. She returns it.

“Call me if you want to have some extra fun,” she says. “You have my number, Loki.”

“I’ll try to keep it in mind,” Loki says. Isabel scoffs and tosses her cigarette down on the ground, stomping it out with the heel of her combat boots.

She waves the two of you away, a smirk on her lips. Loki tugs at you and his breath is hot on the shell of your ear.

“Come on,” he says. You can barely hear him, ears still muffled from the loud music. “Take us back to your place, tiger.”

You blink. Loki grins at you and, as if entranced, you lead him back to your apartment.

You hail a cab and the driver peers at you. With Loki attached to your hip, he looks like he wants to refuse you but then he changes his mind. You get on and mumble to him your address and within ten minutes, you’re at your apartment complex.

The door struggles with you. You can barely get it open with your arms full of Loki. He isn’t doing much to help you, wrapping himself around you as tightly as he can. He presses kiss after kiss on your mouth, moving on to your neck when he doesn’t seem satisfied.

You manage to shove your key into the lock and you open the door. The two of you stumble back. You pull away from Loki for a second to kick the door shut, locking it behind you. You turn on the lights.

When you turn back, you find Loki leaning against the dining table, his lips reddened and swollen from kissing. His skin is damp, a thin sheen of sweat making him glisten. You lick your lips and you can feel Loki’s eyes follow your tongue.

Loki raises an eyebrow, glancing toward his left. You nod once and then he’s off the table, his clothes coming off along the way to your bedroom. You tug off your tie and unbutton your shirt.

Loki looks around your room, humming. You stand at the doorway, leaning against the frame, arms crossed.

You think he looks great standing half-naked in your bedroom. You think he should take off his pants, too. You tell him that. He grins at you, hands sliding across his waistband.

“You want them off?”

You head over to him, hand resting on his. “Yeah,” you mumble. Loki grins up at you, sliding his hand up your arm and down your chest, pushing your shirt off your shoulders.

“You’re going to have to work for it.”

You look back up at him. You feel heat surge through your body and then Loki’s kissing you again. You push him back, leading him to the bed. The back of his knees hit the edge of the bed and he goes down with it.

You don’t need to do much to cover the entirety of his body. He might be tall, but he’s way slimmer than he actually looks. You frame him, staring down into his green eyes, and he smirks.

“You’re not doing a good job working for it,” he says.

You laugh, pressing down on him. He lets out a quiet moan, going way more obediently than you thought he would. His breath hitches when your teeth graze his collarbone and he struggles underneath you.

You wrestle him, humoring whatever need he has to satisfy before you drive your fingers into his side. He’s ticklish and screams, twisting away from your touch. You laugh and he mumbles something, his fingers feather-light against your cheek.

While he’s distracted, you lean down and bite along his exposed skin, leaving dark marks across his pale white skin. The bruises and bites blossom so beautifully for you. He’s made for you. Or you’re made for him.

You mumble it into his skin. You feel him chuckle at your words but you’re not sure if it’s because your lips tickle him or because he actually finds irony in what you said. Regardless, you leave a particularly hard bite just above Loki’s heart, making him shiver and lay limp beneath you.

You trail back down to undo his pants, sliding them down. You watch him and he watches you, eyes glinting. You cup him – fully hard already – in your hand. He gasps and his legs widen, hips rolling up.

You squeeze him and he freezes. His breath is harsh, chest rising and falling. You eye the bite mark you left on him and you smile. “All pretty for me, huh?” you mutter.

Loki nods frantically, thrusting his hips up again. You take off his underwear, grabbing his cock, and squeezes him again.

He seems to take the hint and doesn’t move anymore. You reach over and place a hand at the side of his neck, thumb just above his Adam’s apple. “Good,” you murmur, rubbing the skin and feeling him swallow.

He likes it. You can feel him twitch in your hold. You flash him your teeth and then you let him go. “Don’t move,” you say.

Loki presses his head against the pillow, black hair spilling around his head like ink. You recognize that glint in his eyes now. You unbuckle your belt and wrap it around Loki’s wrists, tying the rest of the belt around your headboard.

Loki looks at you. He can break out of this whenever he wants, you know it. But he won’t because he likes it like this. You can tell. You grab him again and stroke him, watching as his eyes begin to droop at the feeling.

You lean down and kiss him. He jerks and kisses you back, putting all of his energy into it. You take yourself out of your jeans and put your cock with Loki’s, rubbing both of you at the same time. His breath hitches, panting into your mouth. You bite his lower lip.

“Shit,” he says, again and again, hips twitching but not thrusting. He is learning.

You keep at it until you feel like you’re about to come. “Good boy,” you say.

You let go and reach for your nightstand, grabbing the lube and uncapping it. It takes a while for it to drip out. You coat your fingers as generously as you can and then you nudge them against Loki’s ass cheeks, feeling around for the tight furl.

You find it quickly and not a second later, you push your entire pointer finger in. Loki gasps against you, arching off the bed. You grunt and press him back down, nails digging into the skin. He doesn’t argue.

“Fuck,” he says, tossing his head back.

He feels tight around your fingers. You wonder if he’s done this before but then you realize how silly that sounds. Twisting your hand, you push in deeper and then add another finger, feeling him slowly relax around you.

You kiss a bruise along his neck, biting down just as you add a third finger and twist. He makes a strange noise, something that doesn’t sound like howling but you can’t find another word to describe it, and then you feel him contract rhythmically.

You scoff, sitting back up. You grab a condom from your drawer and break the seal. You roll the plastic on.

Loki struggles against your belt, his cheeks splashed with pink. His skin almost glows in this light. You take your fingers out and replace them with your dick, head leaking eagerly into the condom.

He smirks, goading you. You don’t push in and he wriggles his hips. ”Well?” he asks. “I’m getting bored.”

You laugh and thrust lightly against him, your head rubbing against his entrance but not pushing in. His eyes flutter closed at the feeling. “Doesn’t look like you are,” you say.

“Hm,” he grunts, turning his head to bite your pillow. His neck is exposed to you and you find a spot on his neck to suck a bruise on to, lapping at it while you continue with your minute thrusts.

The headboard creaks and you glance up to find Loki pulling against your belt again. You can see his skin reddening. When Loki says your name, you turn your attention back down to him.

“Are you going to fuck me or not?” he asks, poking out his tongue at you. You grin back at him, grabbing hold of hips when they start to move.

“Only if you ask nicely,” you say.

“You wish,” Loki says. He struggles a little bit more, trying to get you in, and you keep holding him down. The two of you writhe a bit, the excitement of it all making Loki hard against his belly again, and you finally press yourself down on him.

Loki bucks against you. You feel the head of his dick brush against your stomach and Loki’s muscle tense. Loki pulls against your belt again and you finally push yourself into Loki.

He’s tight. Loki tenses and relaxes, trying to let you in and clenches his teeth. You bury your face into his neck, groaning at the warm vice around you. Loki turns his head and he nips at you, teeth grazing against your skin.

You feel him leave a couple of bite marks along your neck by the time you’re fully seated inside. You moan at the feeling and jerk your body away from Loki’s teeth, setting a punishing pace.

Loki tosses his head back, mouth dropping open. He clenches his fists, dark painted nails digging into his palms as he strains against the belt. It’s coming loose, you can tell, but you let him keep tugging at it, biting down on his neck.

“You feel good,” you groan into his skin. Loki shivers, twisting his body to get you in deeper.

“You’re big,” he breathes. You feel his legs wrap around your waist, his heels touching the small of your back.

When you slow down to give yourself a breather, he kicks at you. “When did I say you can stop?” he hisses.

You scoff at him but you quicken your pace a bit. You look down, watching as you disappear inside his body and then pull back out. His skin drags along with you like his body doesn’t want you to leave. You smile to yourself at the sight.

“Come on,” Loki says, moaning your name once. “Faster.”

You feel generous. You obey and pick up your speed again, your pelvis slapping against his ass. You sit up, pressing both hands down on Loki’s chest, and angle yourself.

“Oh, fuck!” Loki screams, thrashing against his bonds when you find it. You slow down, grinding up against it as deeply as you can until Loki comes, dribbling onto his own stomach and leaking down on to your sheets.

When he stops contracting around you, snug like a glove, you keep thrusting. Loki moans quietly, bucking his hips at every thrust. He moans your name when you keep going. “Come on, big boy,” he says, breathless. “I want your cum.”

“Yeah?” you say, leaning down to press more weight on Loki, forcing him to stay put on the mattress. You hoist his legs over your shoulder and nearly behind him in half, impressed at his flexibility. You slow down, dragging yourself back slowly before digging back in deep, hoping to reach deeper than anyone else has.

Loki looks up at you, face flushed and spreading prettily down his chest. His cock is aimed up at his own face from the position and you know Loki will look beautiful covered in white.

With every stroke, Loki breathes out your name, shuddering. You begin to pick up the pace, hearing him chant your name like his life depends on it. He’s boneless against you but still, he tries to give you a struggle. He twists his hips, putting a damper on your fluid movements.

You grab at his hip and dig your nails into his skin. He shudders and with a final thrust, you bury yourself deep and come. You thrust slowly, trying to milk the most of it, and Loki finally breaks free from your belt and starts to jerk himself off, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

His cum comes in droplets, landing in specks on his face and mouth. You groan at the sight, letting Loki’s legs down and kissing his face. You stay inside of him, grinding whenever you feel like it. Loki grinds back, his hands running up and down your back.

“That was good,” Loki says.

“Hm,” you reply, too blissed out to think of anything else to say.

He drags his nails across your skin, leaving fiery lines wherever he touches. You arch your back at the feeling. He surges up to kiss you and you return it with the same fever.

You break away when you come down from your high. You collapse beside Loki and pull out, taking the condom off and tying it up. You throw it in the trash and you wrap your arm around Loki, who is already half-asleep.

Loki mumbles your name and glances at you through the crack of his eyelids.

You say his name back and kiss him on the cheek. He scoffs and turns from you. You can’t say anything because sleep pulls you under.

When you next wake up, the room is bright and Loki is facing you. His breathing is calm and you think he’s still asleep. You peel your limbs off of him and head to the bathroom. You get freshened up and ready for the day.

You step out of the bathroom only to find Loki dressed and half-way out of the window.

Loki looks at you, his neck still marked up from last night. You feel a little strange, awkwardly standing in your own room.

“Well,” Loki says. He clears his throat and continues to try and get out of the window. “I had fun,” he says, peering down to the ground.

“We’re five stories up,” you tell him.

“Right,” Loki says.

“Stay,” you say, heading over to him. “I’ll make you breakfast, then you can walk out the door like a normal person.”

“A normal person,” Loki scoffs. “I’m not really what you’d call a normal person.”

You give him another one-over, all fresh and clean. The only thing that remains from last night is the one large hickey just below his ear. The rest of covered by the elaborate party clothes that he was wearing.

Though now that you can see better, his clothes do look a little interesting. An abundant of green and very flowy.

“Just for breakfast,” you try, “then you can go.”

Loki closes his eyes and after a few seconds, sigh in defeat and nods.

You help him back into the room and lead him to the kitchen. He sits at the dining table and toys with something. You put some toast on and make some scrambled eggs, cutting up some fruit as well.

You turn on the coffee machine and ask Loki if he wants coffee or tea.

“Tea, please,” Loki replies.

You boil some water and grab the final tea bag you have left. You make eggs, toast, sausages, some fruit. Tea for Loki and coffee for yourself. You place the plate in front of Loki and he puts down your phone.

“Oh,” you say, putting down the mugs and picking up the phone. Andy messaged you a bunch of times and you missed a few calls from him. You reply to your friend as Loki digs in, shoveling food into his mouth like he’s never had it before.

“Slow down,” you tell him, a soft smile on your face, as you put your phone in your pocket.

Loki doesn’t say anything. He just keeps eating until there’s nothing left. Then he takes a sip from his tea and hums in contentment.

“Is it rare for you to have breakfast?” you ask him as you eat your own food.

Loki eyes you, putting down his mug. “Not homemade ones,” he says after a while.

“Family doesn’t love you or something?”

Loki scoffs, turning away for a second. “Yeah, you can say that.”

You reach over and put a hand on his, rubbing your thumb against his skin. It’s so soft. It almost feels out of this world. “If you want, you can have breakfast here whenever you want,” you say.

“You’re crazy,” Loki says. He pulls away from you and takes the mug, drinking deeply.

You eat your food, drinking your coffee when you’re done. You don’t say anything but you feel like Loki is doing most of the thinking for you.

“I’m serious, you know,” you say when you put down your mug.

Loki puts down his empty mug too, twirling it in his hands. “You don’t even know who I am,” he says.

“Then let me get to know you,” you say.

Loki huffs and looks down at his lap.

“Come on,” you say, reaching over and taking one of Loki’s hands into yours. “If you come over again tonight, I’ll let you have some more shitty tea.”

Your words make Loki smile. He turns away in an effort to hide it but you see it and you grin, rubbing your thumb across the back of Loki’s hand.

“Come on,” you say again and Loki finally gives a nonchalant roll of his shoulders.

“You can’t ask someone like me to give you a promise,” Loki says.

“Well, a man can only hope,” you reply.

He looks at you. And then he keeps looking, and looking, and looking. He turns away and stands. “Thank you for the meal,” he says. You hurry to follow him to the door, letting him out and watching him head down the hallway.

Well, that’s the last time you’re going to the bar with Andy.

Later that night, you lay down the fresh sheets before heading to the toilet. You’re in the middle of shaving when you hear knocking coming from your room.

Confused, you peek out the door and find someone outside your window, grin so mischievous and cunning.


	2. The Coffee Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Breakfast?” you ask.
> 
> Loki makes a small sound, turning to look at you. “Toast?” he suggests.
> 
> “I was thinking something nicer,” you say, heading to your closet. You pick out a nice outfit and start changing. “Get dressed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd.

Loki feels right in your arms. He runs a little cooler than any other person you’ve slept with but you don’t mind. Summer is coming and the air is slowly becoming unbearable. Loki makes it better, somehow, by just being around you.

You soothe a hand over his hair. It’s soft against your skin. You press a kiss on top of his head and roll out of bed, heading to the toilet.

When you come out, Loki is sitting up on your bed, scratching the back of his head. His eyes are hooded and not paying attention to anything. You smile to yourself.

“Breakfast?” you ask.

Loki makes a small sound, turning to look at you. “Toast?” he suggests.

“I was thinking something nicer,” you say, heading to your closet. You pick out a nice outfit and start changing. “Get dressed.”

You take your keys and your wallet and head out to the living room when you’re done. Loki shuffles around the room as you grab your phone from the kitchen counter.

Andy messaged you. He won’t stop asking you about Friday night. You roll your eyes and ignore his message, hoping he’d ask you something more a little bit more professional.

Loki wanders out to where you are, already stepping into your personal space and wrapping his arms around you. He slots just right into your embrace and you give him a quick kiss.

“Come on,” you say. You take his hand and the two of you leave your apartment.

There’s a new coffee shop that opened up just across your street. You think it’s way too high-end to go on your own but Loki looks like a person that might enjoy it.

“The Coffee Cat,” you say, gesturing to the sign.

Loki looks up at it, squinting at the silly cat design. He shrugs and you go in.

The menu is just like any other coffee shop. They have some snacks, too, displayed in a large refrigerated box at the side. You order what you usually get a coffee shop plus a light snack for breakfast and Loki gets a latte and a croque monsieur.

You glance at him. He seems like he’s having fun. You pay for everything and the barista tells you to choose a table, that they’d bring your things to you when they’re ready. You pick a seat by the window and sit down. Loki sits across from you.

“You bribe everyone you want to woo with food?” Loki asks you.

You laugh. “No,” you say.

“You don’t bribe everyone you want to woo with food?”

“I don’t bribe anyone because I don’t often want to woo people.”

Loki makes a noise and nods. He sits up when the barista approaches, putting down your drinks. “Your food will be right out,” she says. “Enjoy your drinks, sirs.”

You grab your cup and blow on it, trying to cool down the drink before you take a sip. You glance at Loki over the brim and you see him do the same, carefully bringing the cup to his thin lips.

His eyes dart from one thing to another, pointedly not looking at you. You keep holding your cup but you’re not drinking from it anymore, wondering what can be on Loki’s mind.

The barista comes back with your food. She smiles at you and places down the plates and tells you to enjoy your meal. You nod your thanks and start to dig in.

The way Loki eats is peculiar. It’s like he has never seen food before. You try not to laugh, not wanting to insult him and focus on your food until half of it is gone.

“So, what do you do?” you ask Loki.

Loki’s green eyes flicker up to meet yours for a second before his gaze wanders once more, following the people down the street.

“I’m swinging between jobs,” he says after a while.

You nod. “Well, I’m an office worker,” you decide to say. His shoulder sags in relief and he continues to eat his food. “I went to Serpent’s because my co-worker brought me there.”

Loki nods along to your words. He finishes his food before he answers you. “I go the Serpent’s every week,” he says, “whenever I’m free.”

You hum. You’re glad that you let Andy convince you last minute.

“Work holds you up?” you ask.

Loki purses his lips. “You can say that,” he says. He drinks his latte and then he says, “I’ll have to be out of town in a few days.”

You sit up a little straighter. “For how long?” you ask.

“Not sure,” he says. “Could be a few days, could be a couple of weeks.”

“Huh,” you say under your breath. You lean back against your chair and pretend to be unaffected. “That’s cool.”

Loki peers at you, drink in hand. “So, I guess this may very well be the last time we’d see each other,” he says, slowly.

“You don’t sound like you’d want that to be true, Loki.”

Loki scoffs and drinks his coffee. You drink yours, too, waiting.

Taking a deep breath, Loki tentatively says, “I’ll try to return as soon as possible.”

You tilt your head. “Sure,” you say. “You’ll let me know when you’re back in town?”

“I…” Loki stammers, looking back and forth. He looks at the people who walk by, and the people who are sitting in the Coffee Cat with you. He looks at his own cup and his empty plate of food, and then he finally says, “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll let you know.”

You nod, fishing out your phone from your pocket. “We can exchange numbers so that you can text me.”

He gives you a look and then stares at your phone like it’s a strange thing to hold. “My phone is broken,” he says quickly. Still, he takes out a piece of paper and a pen. “You can write down your number, I’ll get back to you.”

“Okay,” you say slowly. You take the piece of paper and the pen and write down your number. Loki takes it, folds it, and then puts it back into his pocket. He puts the pen on the table.

It is quiet for a while. You try to listen to other people’s conversations but your attention eventually floats back to Loki, who is sitting awkwardly across from you. He looks like he’s sitting on pins and needles, always shifting his weight from left to right. His gaze is glued to the people milling outside.

Maybe he just really likes people-watching. You sigh and take out your phone, checking if Andy had sent you anything else, but there’s nothing. You put your phone back into your pocket and then you notice the pen is gone.

“Well,” you say after a bit, “I guess we should be going.”

“Yes,” Loki says hurriedly, already moving to stand.

“Sorry,” you say when you leave the shop.

“What?”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Loki turns to you, eyebrows furrowed. He just looks at you, probably trying to come up with a lie, and then swallows thickly. “No,” he says finally, turning away. “I just haven’t really met someone quite like you before.”

You laugh, shoulders relaxing. “You know, I can say the same about you,” you say. “You’re very different from anyone else around here.”

“I’m not from around here,” Loki says.

“Yeah, I can see that.” You grin, nudging Loki’s shoulder with yours. “Say, where do you live? Want me to walk you there?”

Loki’s gaze flickers toward you and then turns back to the road. He seems relaxed but there’s tension in his neck. “Just around here,” he says. “You can walk me to the train station,” he adds afterward.

“Sure,” you say. “There’s one down the street.”

You walk in silence for a few seconds before Loki says, “I think it’d be best if we just keep our relationship purely physical.”

“Excuse me?”

“This thing between us,” Loki says, “I think it would be best if it is just sex. Nothing else.”

“You just want to be fuck buddies?” You purse your lips and look at Loki. He looks like he’s stepping on sharp stones.

“Yes,” Loki says. “It would be for the best.”

“Can we at least be friends with benefits?” You try. “I like you, Loki. You’re pretty cool.”

Loki clears his throat again, not looking at you. You swear you can see his cheeks turn pink, but you’re not sure if it’s just because of the hot and humid air.

“That’s fine,” he says.

“Cool,” you say. You shove your hands into your pockets and try not to push Loki into another conversation until you reach the train station.

People pour in and out rapidly. You check the time on your phone and then you look back at Loki, who seems to not know what to do. “Are you going to go in?” you ask him.

“Yes,” he says. He looks at the people coming in and out. He then turns to you. You wait for him to say something but he just opens his mouth and then closes it, looking away again.

“Okay,” you say. You take a step forward and give him a quick hug, patting him on the back and pulling him away without him hugging back. “See you when I see you, then.”

“Right,” Loki says and nods. He pauses, nods once more, and then turns on his heels to enter the station.

You stay where you are until you lose his green silhouette into the crowd. You shake your head, muttering, “That was weird,” under your breath and turn to head home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Leave suggestions for what should happen in the next chapter in the comments._


	3. The Elephant's Spoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bus ride to work feels lonelier than usual on the following Monday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd.

The bus ride to work feels lonelier than usual on the following Monday.

You find yourself constantly checking your phone, but the only messages you get are from your co-workers, informing you about a system bug that is affecting the entire company and urging you to help with the status report.

Andy messages you, too. He mentions the bug off-hand but he seems more interested in Friday, as usual. Maybe you’ll talk about it with him during lunch since there’s a tugging at your heart that you just can’t ignore.

You get off your stop and breathe in the brisk morning air for a moment before setting off to your office building.

You meet some of your co-workers at the line. They all greet you with smiles and then wave their phones about, talking about the bug.

“I wonder with the IT team is going to fix it soon,” one of them says.

“They’d have to, right? That’s their job,” another one replies.

“It’s been over four hours since they’ve discovered the bug,” the first one says. “They should be done with it by now.”

“Maybe it’s a serious thing,” the other one suggests. “Some things can’t be solved overnight.”

You tune out their conversation when your phone buzzes. It’s a message from an unknown number.

You unlock your phone and sees that the message only contains a period. You roll your eyes and lock your phone. The line moves and you enter the elevator.

Time passes like a blur. It’s already half-past eleven when you next check the clock after answering a seemingly endless amount of emails. In the corner of your eye, you see Andy trying to make his way toward you.

“Hey, buddy,” Andy says when he realizes you caught him.

“Hey,” you say, pretending to be busy with the status report. The IT team is as confused about the bug as anyone else. The system is still not repaired. On top of that, there’s a problem with public relations, regarding the system breakdown and one of the agents.

“Crazy bug, huh?” Andy says.

“Yeah, even IT can’t seem to figure it out,” you say. “They’ve killed the program multiple times but it keeps coming back.”

“Yeah, crazy,” Andy says distantly.

You continue with your initial report. Your boss had asked for it half an hour ago. “What do you want, Andy?” you ask when Andy doesn’t leave.

“Right, yeah,” Andy says, patting the back of your chair. “I was thinking about lunch.”

“Aren’t you always thinking about lunch?”

“Oh, you’re so funny,” Andy says, patting the back of your chair harder this time. You throttle a bit but ignore him, continuing with your report.

“I think you should go back to work,” you say. “My boss is pretty pressed about this report and I’m sure yours have work for you to do too.”

“Yeah,” Andy says. He leans against the wall, arms crossed. You keep typing but Andy remains there. You turn to him, attention still on your computer.

“You know, actually,” he says, “I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me.”

“We always have lunch together, Andy.”

“Yeah, I know.” He laughs. “You just kind of dipped on me on Friday and I wasn’t sure if you met someone and that you’re going to have lunch with her.”

You stop typing. Out of habit, you crack some of your knuckles and you sigh. Your phone buzzes and the two of you turn to it. It is a message from the unknown number from earlier. This time, it reads, “Hey cutie,” with a bunch of kissy face emoji.

You feel Andy stare at you.

You scrub at your face and sigh. “I’ll tell you about it at lunch,” you say.

“Good man,” Andy grins. He pats your shoulder and heads back to work. You roll your eyes and grab your phone, unlocking it and replying to the text.

“Loki?” you send.

The other person replies, “Ha, you wish! Loki would never call anyone ‘cutie.’”

You wrack your head as to who this person might be. A vague memory of a woman grinding against you floats up and you swallow thickly. “Isabel?”

“Spot on!”

Isabel spends some time typing next, but you beat her to the punch.

“How did you get this number? Did Loki give it to you?”

Isabel stops typing for a bit and then sends, “Magic.”

You roll your eyes. You put your phone away, working on your report until Isabel sends something else.

“Anyway, I know you and Loki have been hanging out the past two days. I just wanted to meet you again, one-on-one. You know, standard best friend screening procedure.”

You grab your phone. “I think you approved of me already.” The memory of her lips against yours tingles on your skin.

Isabel sends a winking face. “Screening you again, hot-stuff,” she sends. “First time was a match for myself, not for my best friend.”

You purse your lips. “Okay,” you send, “but I’m not free lunchtime. Maybe dinner?”

“Dinner is good. Let me know what time and where. You’re paying.”

You huff and say, “Sure. I’ll let you know.”

A notification pops on your computer and you sigh again. You lock your phone and get back to work.

Lunchtime rolls around quickly enough. You manage to hand in your report and your boss doesn’t get back to you in time. You hurry to leave your station and meet Andy out at the entrance of your department.

“Hey,” you greet him.

“Hey,” he says back, rubbing at his eyes. “Hectic, huh?”

“Yeah,” you agree. The two of you wait for the elevator. “Boss is probably drowning in most of it, though.”

“Heard him shouting at my boss in the meeting room just now,” Andy says. “Turns out the agent doesn’t want to comply with the circumstances the company is giving him.”

“What’s that?”

“The agent, the one who people found out made some slightly racist comments on his own personal account.”

“Right, him,” you say.

“He doesn’t want to private his account but he also doesn’t want to get fired,” Andy says.

“Did he delete the comments, at least?”

“Yeah, but the people who found his account want us to address it directly and I guess my boss doesn’t know what to do. It’s his personal account, after all. He can do and say whatever he wants on it.”

“That’s true,” you nod. The elevator arrives and the two of you enter, pressing the button for the ground floor.

“I just hope this whole thing blows over soon,” you say.

“With the system still working out the kinks,” Andy says, “I doubt it will be any time soon.”

You nod in agreement.

The two of you head down to the usual restaurant. The server smiles at the two of you and seats you, already knowing what you’d like to order.

“So, what happened Friday night?” Andy asks when your drinks arrive.

You pretend not to hear him.

“C’mon,” Andy says. “You disappeared after I saw you cozying up with some girl. Don’t hide things from me, man, I thought we were good friends.”

You puff out a laugh, turning away from Andy for a moment before looking back at him. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, first of all, what’s she like?”

“I can tell you that I didn’t leave the club with the girl.”

Andy looks at you, blinks for a bit, and then leans back when the food comes. “You left with another girl?” he asks when the waiter walks away.

“I didn’t leave with a girl, Andy.”

Andy takes a few more seconds to take this news. He eats his food, nodding along to nothing particular. Then, as you’re shoveling food in your mouth, he says, “Cool. So, who’d you leave with?”

You swallow and say, “A guy. He’s called Loki.”

“Loki,” Andy says, nodding. “That’s a weird name.”

“People have weird names, Andy,” you say.

“Right, then what happened?”

“Well, you know.”

Andy laughs, patting your shoulder. “Alright, then?”

“See, this is where it gets strange. He and I click, I swear to you, I feel it. But he just won’t talk to me and he acts like being around me makes him uncomfortable.”

“Buddy, I don’t think that’s what clicking means.”

“No, we get along. Like, a lot. He’d let himself go sometimes and we’d have a nice time, but when we’re in public, he acts like he’s in a minefield.”

“Maybe he’s afraid of committing,” Andy says. “Being in public makes it look like you guys have a thing going on that isn’t, well, you know.”

You nod. “Yeah, I can see that. He asked to keep things purely physical.”

Andy purses his lips and then gives your shoulder a pat again. “If it’s what he wants, then you’re going to have to respect that.”

“Yeah, but he doesn’t look like he wants to just keep things physical.”

“I don’t know what to say, man. You know him better than me.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” you say and take a sip from your drink. You furrow your eyebrows. “Man’s hard to read. It’s like he’s got a diploma in lying and deflecting.”

“Oh, perfect,” Andy says. “Just what a man needs in a partner.”

“Think you need a bit more sarcasm than that,” you say. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter right now. He’s going out of town and he says he doesn’t know when he’ll be back.”

“Sounds like he’s running away from something,” he says.

“Sure does,” you reply.

You finish your lunch and Andy offers to pay. You head back to the office, talking about nothing, and soon enough you’re back at your desk and working on another status update.

The end of the day rolls around and you get a message from your boss, the tell-tale notification sound from the computer scaring you a little.

“Thanks for all your hard work,” your boss writes. “You can go home now. IT has it handled and they are told to report directly to me.”

You say your thanks and pack your things.

You shut everything off and head out. Andy left an hour ago. You check your phone and see that you have several messages from Isabel, all about dinner.

“I found this cool place online,” the last message reads. “Elephant’s Spoon.”

You click on the link and almost faint at the prices. Still, you grit your teeth and message her back.

“I just got off work. Where are you?”

Isabel is online within seconds. “I’m at my apartment,” she says. “How close are you to the restaurant?”

You check the map and reply, “About ten minutes on the bus.”

“Cool, see you there.”

The bus ride there is quiet but crowded. You keep an eye on the stop announcement and once you reach the stop closest to the restaurant, you get off.

You arrive near the restaurant and wait by the entrance. You check your phone and tell Isabel you’ve arrived. She says she’s on her way. You head inside and ask for a table for two.

The waitress seats you and you text Isabel. A few moments later, she’s standing right beside you. You stand to help her get seated before returning back to your seat. The waitress returns with some menus and disappears again.

“So,” you say as you look over the menu.

“Food first, handsome,” Isabel says. “I’m hungry.”

You roll your eyes and once you pick something that isn’t outrageously expensive on the menu, wave over the hovering waiter. Isabel orders her food and you follow after, raising an eyebrow at her choice.

“Your treat,” she says with a cheeky smile.

You struggle to return it. This is going to hurt your budget for this month.

When your drinks arrive, Isabel pinches the long metal spoon in hers and just stirs. You wait politely for her to say something first but when you’re on the third sip of your drink, you decide to speak up instead.

“What’s wrong?” you ask her.

She doesn’t immediately answer you. You think being hesitant doesn’t suit her at all. You clear your throat once and her gaze flickers up to you, but she still doesn’t say anything.

You wonder what in the world can possibly get her so tongue-tied.

You snap back to attention when you hear her say your name softly. “Yes?” you answer.

“This isn’t an interrogation,” Isabel says.

You nod once, swirling your drink.

“I just wanted to warn you about Loki,” she continues. You furrow your eyebrows but she waves you away before continuing, “He’s not like you and me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

You shake your head. “I don’t get it,” you say.

“Out of all the years I’ve seen Loki, he has never looked at anyone the way he looked at you that night,” Isabel says. “Not to mention he has never been so out of it because of a guy.”

You look down at your drink. You can only see Isabel’s hands in your peripheral vision. She doesn’t move them much as she continues to speak.

“I know you feel the same,” Isabel says, “so I just wanted to warn you.”

“What’s wrong with Loki?”

“He’s different,” she says. “I don’t know how to explain it, but he acts as if he’s not bound by the same laws as the rest of us.”

“He’s insane?”

“I don’t know what he is, okay? All I know is that he’s not the same as us and I don’t know what he does on his spare time.”

“But you guys are close?”

“I don’t ask questions and I accept things as it is,” she says. “I’ve even helped him a couple of times when he needed it.”

You nod. “So, is he insane?”

“I wouldn’t know,” she says. “He acts pretty normally. Well, he acted pretty normally until now.”

“Now?”

“Until you, numbnuts,” she says. “He randomly said he had to go away last night.”

“He was going to stay longer?”

“Yeah, he said he was going to stay for a few months when he came to visit me,” Isabel says, “then he changed his mind.”

You nod again, numb. “He asked if we could keep things physical.”

Isabel snorts and leans back against her chair. Your food comes and the waiter tells you to enjoy your meal. Neither of you touches the food.

“For as long as I’ve met him, he’s never been in a relationship before,” she says once the waiter is gone.

“Is he afraid of commitment or something?”

“Maybe,” Isabel shrugs. “I never brought it up and he never seemed to be interested in talking about it.”

“Were you guys…?”

“Multiple times,” Isabel says with a wicked smile. “That’s how we first met, actually. He used to own a nightclub and I used to go all the time.”

“But it was just physical?”

“You jealous, sweetie?” Isabel coos. She reaches out and strokes the back of your hand. You don’t move your hand away. “He didn’t ask for anything else,” she says. She puts her hand on yours. “And neither did I.”

A beat passes between you two and then she says, “We might not know a lot about each other but I still consider him one of my best friends. There are things he doesn’t need to tell me for me to know.”

You sigh through your nose and you nod. She continues. “Whatever he’s feeling, he’s scared of it,” she says. “He might be hard to read but if there’s one thing you can predict about him, it’s that he’s unpredictable. I want you to be careful, honey. You might get hurt.”

“Aren’t you worried that Loki’d get hurt?”

Isabel laughs and lets go of your hand. She leans back against her chair and waves her hand in front of her face. “He’s something else,” she says with a smile. “The only person who can hurt him is himself.”

She looks down at her plate of food and then grabs her fork. You do the same but before you can dig in, she speaks up again.

“Except, maybe, you can too.”

She doesn’t look at you. After a heartbeat, she starts eating like she hasn’t said anything at all.

You look at your plate, appetite gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Leave suggestions for what should happen in the next chapter in the comments._


End file.
